Electric time switch



ABRAMSON. ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1920.

1 ,420,902, Patented June 27 1922.

INVENTOR E l moauzv PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN ABRAM soN, or new YORK, N. Y.

- ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jun 27 1922 Application filed July 30, 1920. Serial No. 400,191

T0 aZZ whom it may concern: l

, Be it known that NATHAN AnRA soN citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of llewYork, in the county of Kings and State of New York, has invented certa n new and useful Improvements in Electrlc Time Switches, of which the following is a specification. I

This inventionrelates to automatlc electric time switches for automatically opening or closing electric circuits at a desired predetermined time, One of the objects thereof is to provide a device of the above type characterized by simplicity and cheapness of construction and efficiency of operation in a high degree. 1

Another object is to provide a device of the above type having asnap switch with rotatable switch elements, a motor mechanism and means for direct power transmission from the latter to the switch shaft to insure positive and effective operation.

A furtherobject is to provide a unitary portable time switch of-the typedescribed, neat and compact in construction and having a reduced number of parts securely assembled and readily accessible.

- Other objects willbein part obvious and in part hereinafter poi nted'out.

Certain features herein shown and described are shown, described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No.

397,815, filed in the; United States Patent ()tlice July 21st, 1920, and accordingly are not claimed herein.

WVith the above exceptionythe invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplifled in the apparatus hereinafter.described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the fol-lowing claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing the automatic time switch in position in the casing; I e

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational -view of an automatic time switch embodying this invention showing the mechanism as assembled;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view thereof; and

Fig. 4; is a detailed vertical elevational view of the. trip mechanism for releas ng the actuating mechanism for the switch and of the brake mechanism for locking same against operation. Y

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 indicates a casing having a hinged cover 11 within which" is mounted" the electric time switch in the'manner hereinafter described. The casing and cover maybe of the type known in the electrical art as the common knock-out box used for enclosing switches and the like. '12 indicates an attaching plate or panel having openings 13for screws 13 whereby the panel may be secured to the back of the casing as shown in Fig. 1. This panel serves as the support on which the mechanism andparts of the device are assembled in co-operative relation to each other. The time switch comprises means for setting-the apparatus for operation at desired predetermined times, the snap switch 14 and means for operating the same. The setting means comprises aclock dial 15 and the clock hands 16, 16- all mounted on a shaft 17 adapted to be operated by means of a motor mechanism such as suitable clock work,'some parts of which are shown at 18 and which is compactly assembled and held on the plate 12 and a rear plate 19. The

clock work for thedial is wound in the usual manner by'means of a stem 20, an opening 21 being provided in the plate for the winding key. Means is provided for actuating the switch operating mechanism. It will be understoodthat the function of the clock work mentioned is merely to give the 'gear 17' on the shaft 17, and the dial and hands, all of which are frictionally mounted on, but-rotatable relatively to said shaft, one complete rotationin twenty-four hours, there being nopermanentor rigid operative connection between said clock work and the ren'iaining mechanism. This actuating means comprises a motor mechanism adapted to drive the main shaft 22 whereby motion is transmitted to shaft 23 on which are mountedthe rotatable switch blades. The motor mechanism of the said actuating means comprises preferably clock work consisting of a main spring 24 wound by means of the stem -25 through the opening 26in the plate '12. The'usual power transmission actuated by the unwinding of the spring is provided and comprises an escapement gear 27 mounted on the shaft 28 and the oscillating pawl 29 mounted on shaft 29 i p rati e relation to the escapeme t gear. lVhen the escapement pawl 29 is re leased for operation as will be described. more tully hereinafter, the escapement gear and the mechanism 30 connecting said gear to the spring gear 31. is pern'iitted to rotate under the influence ot the spring 24L. Said spring gear 31 meshes with and drives the gear 32 on the sha'tt 22. The motion t-hus transmitted to a gear 33 carried on the end ot the shaft 2 and thence to the larger drive gear 25-1- mounted on the shaft 23 thus rotating the switch blades 35 in and out of the spring jaws 36 from off into on position or vice versa.

Means is provided for being automatically acted on to release and to set into operation the actuating mechanism for the switch operating device at desired times. F or this purpose a trip member 87 having a projec tion 38. is pivoted on a shaft 39 on the front face or the plate 12 in operative relation to the clock dial and hands. Pivoted on the rear 01": shaft 39 is the arm 40 which carries stud -11 adapted to operate within the slot L2 in a vertically movable arm 43. A restoring spring 10 is provided for the arm 4-0 as shown. The arm t3is secured at its lower end as at a l to a link a5 which is pivo'ted as-at L6 and is adapted to be depressed against the action of the spring; 47. The linlt'l5 carries or is formed on its free end with abrake member 46 adapted to drop into a. slot 47 in the disc d8 mounted on a shaft 22. Secured to the arm L3 is a cam member 4:9 having an oblique cam face 50 for the spring cam follower 51 secured on the oscillating escapement pawl shaft 29. The gearsBl and 32 and disc 4E8 are so dimensioned as to permit disc 1-8 to make one complete revolution during a quarter turn of the shaft 23, necessary to operate the switch blades.

The operation of the device will now be clear. Atter the dial has been manually rotated. relatively to the shaft 17 into the proper position to synchronize the device with the time of day, as is explained in my previous application hereinbe'forc men tioned, the dial hands are set as desired. For the purpose of illustration it will be assumed that the time switch is to be used in connection with some electrical device which it is desired to turn on at 11 a. m. and to turn ofl" at 8 :30 p. m. As the shaft 17 is rotated by the clock work, and as the dial rotates in the direction of the arrow, hand 16 will at 11 a. m. as shown in Fig. 1 abut against the projection 38 and push the trip member 37 causing the arm -10 to move carrying with it the stud 41 which acts against the lower wall of the slot 4-2 and thus pushes arm 41-3 down together with the arm 40 against the action of spring 47. As arm 43 moves down it causes link 45 to rotate downwardabout its pivotal point 46 and against the spring 47, at the same time moving; the brake member 41:6 out of the slot 4:7 in disc In its motion downward, cam :lace 50 ot the cam 49 is moved down so as to cai'ise the spring to release the oscillatingpawl thus permitting; the spring 2 to operate the cscapement gear 27 through the train of gears 30 and transmitting motion through the gear 31 to shaft 22, and thence to sha lt 3 giving the latter a quarter turn and operating the switch blades. When the operation of the switch blades has been completed, the slot 47 is again disposed opposite the brake member 46 which is returned thereinto by spring 1-.7 and the arm 41:3 moving up and the arm 40 being restored to normal position by spring 4.0 and the trip member brought back into its normal position in readiness for the next tripping operation. The motion of arm -13 upward has carried with it cam face 50 so as to place this spring 51 in position to lock the escapement pawl as will be readily understood.

It will be noted that all the mechanism is compactly assembled on the rear of plate 12 between said plate and the rear plate 19, while on the outer "face of the panel are mounted only the clock dial and hands and the trip member sothat the interior mechanism is not exposed when the box is opened, while the necessary elements are accessible for setting the device as desired.

its various possible embodiments might be made of: the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting: sense.

It will thus be seen that there is provided apparatus in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the most severe conditions of hard practical use.

Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an electric time switch, a clock driven shaft, adjustable hands and a dial on said shalt, a trip member arranged in the path of said hands, a shaft carrying said trip member, a lever pivoted on said trip shaft, a link connected to said lever, a switch mechanism, a vibratory escapcment pawl tor controlling said switch mechanism, and means on said link for releasing said pawl for vibratory movement on the trippin of said trip member.

2. In an electric time switch, a trip mem ber, clock driven means for tripping said member, a lever operatively connected to said member and arranged to be partly rotated on the tripping of said member, a secondspring pulled lever pivoted near one of.

its ends, a cam follower on the other of its ends, a link connecting said levers, a switch operating mechanism, a vibratory escapement pawl for controlling said switch mechanism, a rod carried by said pawl, means on said link for engaging said rod to release said pawl for vibratory movement on the rotation of said first lever, and a cam disc having a notch therein adapted to receive NATHAN ABRAMSON. 

